Oh the flu season is upon us. And it’s hitting the east coast like a ’72 Chevy Nova tearing across the county line to get to the all night diner before it closes. If you’re young and healthy and one of those who don’t mind feeling like you got trampled by a herd of cattle, that’s your business.

However, before you even know you’re sick, you can infect others. That means your time at work, the trip to the grocery store, and the local convenience store can be costly to ten or twenty of your community members. If they are young and healthy, great. You can all watch Netflix and take Instagram your misery in unison. But if they are very young or very old or have poor immune systems (think those fighting cancer or breathing problems), the flu can be downright deadly. D E A D L Y. As a previous hospital floor nurse, I’ve seen it. And it is pitiful to see the families come in to visit their loved one. Over and over they say, “But I just saw them. They were fine“. That’s how fast and furious the flu hits. How horrible it can be. How uncaring and non-selective it always is.

The idea of vaccinations is driven by something called “herd immunity”. Just like that herd of cattle that ran roughshod over folks in your town already, the herd can also surround and protect those same folks as well. If enough people get vaccinated, the herd is effectively “immunized” or protected against, in this case, the flu. That means the community is less likely to suffer the huge flu epidemics we hear about on the news which cause us to say, “Well, I hope I don’t get it.” So don’t get it. Get the flu vaccine instead. If it is the injection (a rather small needle unless you are a total and complete woos), it is NOT a live vaccine. You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine. You CAN get a reaction which makes you feel sick which is GOOD. It is your immune system building resistance to the flu virus so that if your body sees that virus again it will smack it down like a Tennessee Lady Vol defending the net.

Please get the flu shot. You can get it all the way through until April. Just like you can get the flu through April. Look around at your family. The babies. Toddlers. Grandmas and Grandpas. Protect them. Protect other community members’ babies. Grandmas who make the best birthday cake frosting ever. Think about others. The world sure is a lot bigger than just you. And you can’t get the flu from the flu shot. No matter how much you say otherwise.